How Technology is Changing Life on the Dairy Farm

 October is a Fitting Time to Celebrate U.S. Farmers as They Near the End of Harvest…

Surprising Facts About the People Who Produce the Dairy Foods You Eat & Drink

Even though there are dairy farms in all 50 states, most Americans have never set foot on a farm. Therefore, most people may not realize that there are some 42,000 dairy farm families and 1,200 dairy plants throughout the country.

But more importantly, the way dairy farms are run – and the people who run them — are far from the traditional notion that most of us may have.  The modern dairy farmer tends to be younger and tech savvy, but just like their forebears, they are on the job 24/7.

Still, modern dairy farming is more efficient than in the past, with technology on some farms taking on tasks that humans could never have imagined, such as letting farmers monitor eating, standing, walking and relaxation times of every cow. Automatic calf feeders make sure that farm babies can drink milk for nourishment on demand, any time of day or night.

And when it’s time to milk the cows, technology often comes into play — in a big way. Milking machines automatically locate the cows’ udders, clean them and then attach to the cow, with little human intervention.  It’s just one of many advances that allow today’s modern dairy farmer to deliver that fresh milk that goes into the many dairy products Americans enjoy every day.

Join me in a recent interview with Dairy Farmer, Joe Kelsay as he explain what life is really like on the modern dairy farm.   Joe also discusses the latest trends in farming — and why next to his cows, technology is a dairy farmer’s best friend.

Check out the complete interview here: https://www.youtube.com/ embed/mpa1wkBLztI?rel=0

For more information, go to https://dairygood.org/undeniably-dairy

More About Joe Kelsay

Joe’s family milks 500 cows at a dairy outside Indianapolis with his wife, Amy. The farm has been in Joe’s family since the 1800s.

Joe thinks on his feet, is very engaging and funny and has a bit of a twang. He loves to talk about technology and understands how it helps him do his traditional job better and more efficiently.

At this year’s Indy 500, he was the official “milk man”—the dairy farmer who delivers milk to the winner and his team (link below).

Joe graduated from Purdue with a BS in Agriculture Economics Farm Management and works in marketing at Dow AgroSciences & Partner, in addition to being a full-time farmer.

Interview courtesy: Dairy Management Inc.